The Jigawa State governor and presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abubakar Badaru, has withdrawn from the race for the party’s presidential ticket.
This is even as 10 northern governors elected on the platform of the APC advised President Muhammadu Buhari to look at the direction of the South in picking the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 elections.
The APC governors confirmed their colleague’s (Badaru) withdrawal from the presidential race on Saturday night in a statement jointly signed by all of them after a meeting involving the state governors and political leaders from northern states of Nigeria.
The signatories of the statement included Governors Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger), Abdullahi A. Sule (Nasarawa), Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum (Borno), Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai (Kaduna), and Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe).
Others were Governors Bello M. Matawalle (Zamfara), Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau), a former governor of Sokoto, Senator Aliyu Wamakko,
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano) and Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi).
“APC governors and political leaders from the northern states of Nigeria today met to review the political situation and to further support our Party in providing progressive leadership amidst our national challenges.
“During our discussions, we welcomed President Muhammadu Buhari’s invitation to governors and other stakeholders to contribute to the emergence of a strong presidential candidate for the APC.
“After careful deliberation, we wish to state our firm conviction that after eight years in office of President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the APC for the 2023 elections should be one of our teeming members from the southern states of Nigeria.
“It is a question of honour for the APC, an obligation that is not in anyway affected by the decisions taken by another political party. We affirm that upholding this principle is in the interest of building a stronger, more united and more progressive country.
“We, therefore wish to strongly recommend to President Muhammadu Buhari that the search for a successor as the APC’s presidential candidate be limited to our compatriots from the southern states. We appeal to all aspirants from the northern states to withdraw in the national interest and allow only the aspirants from the south to proceed to the primaries.
“We are delighted by the decision of our esteemed colleague, His Excellency, Governor Abubakar Badaru to contribute to this patriotic quest by withdrawing his presidential aspiration.
“The APC has a duty to ensure that the 2023 elections offer a nation-building moment, reaffirming that a democratic pathway to power exists for all who value cooperation and build national platforms. This moment calls for the most sober and inclusive approach to selecting our party’s candidate, and we call on all APC leaders to fulfil their responsibility in this regard,” they stated.
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